292 WHISPERS FROM FAIRYLAND. [vI.

 

of a ghost and a gentleman I mean fair. And what’s
more, that black-looking loaf of bread and musty old
cheese looks but poor fare for a fellow like you. I will
give you something better. To say the truth, I like
your pluck: you are the first fellow I have seen here
who has not been frightened out of his wits at me or
my friends, for there are quite a company of us here.
You shall be rewarded for your courage. I don’t mean
-to say Iam going to show you buried treasure or to tell
you something wonderful which will happen if you do
some feat which you would probably much rather not
have to do, and which would be no real good to any-
body if you dd. But this I can and will promise you.
I will bring you up a supper which you shall find good
enough to please you; I will share that supper with you ;
and you shall go forward on your journey to-morrow
in no respect the worse for your night passed in the
Haunted Castle. All I will ask of you is to promise
not to go and tell a lot of other fellows what has hap-
pened to you here, because it might be unpleasant.’

‘That I will readily promise,’ said the traveller;
‘and as I really think you seem a respectable kind of
ghost, who would not seek to take a mean advantage
of a fellow, I will take you at your word and trust
to you for the supper.’

‘Done along with you!’ cried the little red man at
this: ‘Wait here a bit, and keep up the fire. I will
be back again in the twinkling of an eyelid’

So saying, he left the room, and the traveller pro-
ceeded to break up another chair so as to keep the
fire going, and then drawing the next best one he
could find up to the table, placed it on the other side,